'Hugo' leaps into the Best Picture race with National Board of Review win
Martin Scorsese also takes Best Director; George Clooney and Tilda Swinton nab top acting honors
Asa Butterfield in "Hugo," NBR winner for best picture of the year
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Not so fast, "The Artist." After Michel Hazanavicius's silent love letter came out earlier this week in the front of the Best Picture landscape (nailing down five Independent Spirit Award nominations and winning the New York Film Critics Circle's Best Picture prize), Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" has planted a flag in the race today by claiming the National Board of Review's prize for best film of the year.
The film also won the Best Director prize for Scorsese, and overall, I'm a bit surprised. But happily. I was worried for a moment there we might have a steamroller this season.
"The Artist" did manage to crack the NBR's top 10 list, which also included Best Picture hopefuls "The Descendants" and "War Horse," and somewhat surprisingly left room for Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" and Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life." And the organization being the Clint Eastwood devotees that they are, "J. Edgar" naturally showed up, too.
Speaking of "The Descendants," George Clooney finally nailed down a prize after being passed up by the Gothams, snubbed by the Independent Spirits and being ignored by the NY press. Clooney was joined by co-star Shailene Woodley in the honors, who was picked for Best Supporting Actress.
More intriguing, though, is Tilda Swinton's win for Best Actress in "We Need to Talk About Kevin." She has a fighting chance for a nod on the outside of things, but that's still a tough category to break into this season. Christopher Plummer rounded out the acting honors by winning Best Supporting Actor for his currently Oscar-frontrunning performance in "Beginners." Though Felicity Jones ("Like Crazy") and Rooney Mara ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") were both cited for breakthrough performance recognition.
There's a little bit of everything (as usual). "The Help," for instance, which did not, interestingly enough, show up on the top 10 list, did happen to take the Best Ensemble prize. "Margin Call" and J.C. Chandor stole another debut film prize away from Sean Durkin and "Martha Marcy May Marlene" (which was actually snubbed across the board) and Michael Fassbender's prolific year didn't go unnoticed, as he received the Spotlight Award for all of his work.
Other notable snubs included "My Week with Marilyn," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," "Albert Nobbs," "Young Adult" and, most surprisingly, "Moneyball."
However meaningless one might deem the NBR to be, this is a big get for a film that has been poised to lead the Best Picture conversation for some time. Nevertheless, it's worth pointing out that the NBR winner rarely duplicates that feat with the Academy. Only "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2008 and "No Country for Old Men" in 2007 turned the trick.
Also worth noting: Just like with the New York Film Critics Circle, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" was not screened for the National Board of Review.
The full list of winners:
Best Film: "Hugo"
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
Best Actor: George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants" The legendary director's love for the form splashes on every frame Shailene Woodley talks to HitFix about her role in "The Descendants" The world famous novel comes to the screen. Directed by David Fincher Rango anc co ride... that means they ride... now
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Best Adapted Screenplay: "The Descendants"
Best Original Screenplay: "50/50"
Best Animated Feature: "Rango"
Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, "Like Crazy"
Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, "Margin Call"
Best Ensemble: "The Help"
Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender ("A Dangerous Method," "Jane Eyre," "Shame," "X-Men: First Class")
NBR Freedom of Expression: "Crime After Crime"
NBR Freedom of Expression: "Pariah"
Best Foreign Language Film: "A Separation"
Best Documentary: "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"
Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise - A Distinguished Translation from Book to Film
Top Films (in alphabetical order)
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Drive"
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
"The Ides of March"
"J. Edgar"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"
Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)
"13 Assassins"
"Elite Squad: The Enemy Within"
"Footnote"
"Le Havre"
"Point Blank"
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
"Born to be Wild"
"Buck"
"George Harrison: Living in the Material World"
"Project Nim"
"Senna"
Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
"50/50"
"Another Earth"
"Beginners"
"A Better Life"
"Cedar Rapids"
"Margin Call"
"Shame"
"Take Shelter"
"We Need To Talk About Kevin"
"Win Win"
For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.
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2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Next 93 CommentsWheels
December 1, 2011 at 4:24PM EST Reply to CommentHey! Tilda Swinton finally wins a critics award. This might be her first major critics award ever!
CaptainCanada
December 1, 2011 at 4:24PM EST Reply to CommentThis is utterly invaluable for "Hugo" insofar as it makes clear that, despite being a "kids' film", a genre that is often unfairly marginalized, it is being considered a major piece of filmmaking by awards bodies.
Wheels
December 1, 2011 at 4:24PM EST Reply to CommentHey! Tilda Swinton finally wins a critics prize - this may be her first major critics award ever!
Wheels Whoops.
December 1, 2011 at 4:25PM ESTRyMickey
December 1, 2011 at 4:27PM EST Reply to CommentMartha Marcy May Marlene snubbed even in the Independent category? I shamefully haven't had a chance to see it yet, but based off of "buzz," this is rather shocking to me.
HoustonRufus Honestly, this has become THE question, at least for me, so far in the early days of awards season. Why is this film not registering more?
December 1, 2011 at 4:36PM ESTSquasher88 It's still a very strong list of indie films.
December 1, 2011 at 4:49PM ESTBill_the_Bear It's a really good list of indie films (except for the awful "Cedar Rapids").
December 1, 2011 at 5:02PM ESTAs for "MMMM," I wonder if people really just don't like it enough. I thought Olsen was really good in the leading role, but I didn't care all that much for the film itself, and the actress who played her sister was pretty bad.
I'm also happy to see the love for "Margin Call."
jcpdiesel21 Eh, I saw the movie recently and the hype is making it a bit overrated.
December 1, 2011 at 5:12PM ESTLaura Stewart I am so confused. How is Jones' winning every award over Olsen? This is baffling to me. Is she really a threat to break into the Best Actress category?
December 1, 2011 at 5:14PM ESTHoustonRufus
December 1, 2011 at 4:28PM EST Reply to CommentYay! Good for Hugo! And Swinton! And really happy to see Drive make their list! I don't remember seeing any pundits call that.
And kudos on the special award for Fassbender.
I know people are always knocking the NBR, but I like many of these selections, minus the all too predictable selection of J Edgar.
HoustonRufus Slight downgrade to my enthusiasm. Moneyball should have been in there in my opinion, as others have note.
December 1, 2011 at 4:34PM ESTChris138
December 1, 2011 at 4:29PM EST Reply to CommentOut of curiosity, does anyone know if the NBR was able to see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close before voting, or were they denied like the NYFCC?
Kristopher Tapley It did not screen for them.
December 1, 2011 at 4:55PM ESTBillyboy Make no mistake. If it had screened for the NBR, Extremely Loud would've been in the top 10 (if not win Best Picture).
December 1, 2011 at 5:20PM ESTWarner Bros. and the NBR have a "special relationship".
Glenn UK So when is Extremely Loud going to be screened and when will we get an idea of waht the critics think??
December 1, 2011 at 5:30PM ESTa-mad
December 1, 2011 at 4:31PM EST Reply to CommentJ Edgar? Over Moneyball and Tinker... and even The Help? Sheesh. It is the NBR for sure...
Happy for Harry Potter, though.
Billyboy
December 1, 2011 at 4:32PM EST Reply to CommentHarry Potter?! Ugh. Good to see Drive up there, though. And I can't believe the snubbed Midnight in Paris.
CaptainCanada
December 1, 2011 at 4:33PM EST Reply to CommentAlso, I really appreciate the special citation for the Harry Potter franchise. It's a remarkable achievement in blockbuster filmmaking over the course of a decade.
JMC
December 1, 2011 at 4:36PM EST Reply to CommentGlad to see Drive and Harry Potter love. Same too for the kudos for The Descendents. That said, re: Hugo, oif. I know it's loved by film fans, but I find it to be by far the most overrated picture of the year, not worthy of a nomination at all.
JMC Oh...and no Moneyball!? What a disappointment.
December 1, 2011 at 4:37PM ESTJMC Double oh...also like the recognition of 50/50.
December 1, 2011 at 4:38PM ESTCordy Well I'm ok with it, as I loved Hugo, and think The Descendants is the most overrated film of the year
December 1, 2011 at 5:15PM ESTJMC` Hence the subjective nature of the beast. I do find it interesting that I've found many who like The Descendents a good bit but not Hugo and those who like Hugo a good bit but not The Descendents. Of course, some like both, but they do seem to appeal to two different personalities.
December 1, 2011 at 6:09PM ESTCordy Don't get me wrong, I liked the descendnats just fine, but it wasn't going to live up to expectations. However Hugo's initial response at NYFF was nothing spectacular so I wasn't expecting much and left the theater astounded. The power of expectations..
December 1, 2011 at 6:57PM ESTJMC Expectations indeed. I actually think I may have had too high of expectations for Hugo after reading some stellar reviews. Absolutely, I appreciated the movie in many ways, especially technically, I just didn't connect with it as much as I had heard I would. In an odd way, I was hoping it would have the magic of Amelie meets a family picture, but I didn't leave feeling that way. That said, my sister, who often has similar tastes as me, counts it as her second favorite film of the year. So, it must be working really well for some.
December 1, 2011 at 7:52PM ESTBryan
December 1, 2011 at 4:37PM EST Reply to CommentThat's actually...a pretty good list. Of course, of course, of course, J. Edgar would make it. I was just waiting to see if Clint would make the NBR again. Total slavish devotion.
loyal_mehnert
December 1, 2011 at 4:46PM EST Reply to CommentHugo stands no chance of winning BP at the Oscars but I'm enjoying the pre-show variety. Last year's Social Network lovefest was embarrassing.
Kristopher Tapley "Hugo stands no chance of winning BP at the Oscars..."
December 1, 2011 at 4:56PM ESTYou are incorrect, sir.
Matthew Starr If I had to bet right now I would say The Artist and Hugo are the two players for best picture at the Oscars.
December 1, 2011 at 5:10PM ESTKristopher Tapley And War Horse.
December 1, 2011 at 5:17PM ESTMatthew Starr Right now, with my money, I would bet against War Horse. I am seeing it Saturday so maybe I will change my mind.
December 1, 2011 at 5:19PM EST
December 1, 2011 at 5:55PM ESTJust too many huge leaps of Oscar logic to bet on Hugo. Nevertheless, I'm excited for the diversity thus far.
JMC I've got to think Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has a shot if War Horse doesn't pick up enough steam. It's a nice fit for the Academy. That said, if it gaines traction, do you think Moneyball might have a shot if it gets into the race?
December 1, 2011 at 6:05PM ESTJLPatt How the hell was that embarrassing? "The Social Network" was practically the only film from last year that everyone could agree on, and it was also by far the best. Rewarding anything else would have been "embarrassing."
December 1, 2011 at 8:08PM EST
December 1, 2011 at 10:13PM ESTNot quite JLPATT.
Casey Fiore
December 1, 2011 at 4:48PM EST Reply to CommentI've heard so little about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo since it first screened. Do we have any news on how it's played for the critics? Or are they actually taking an embargo seriously for once?
Billyboy I know. Did they hire killers or kidnapped family members to prevent them from saying anything? Not even Twitter reactions? I want some reactions, people!
December 1, 2011 at 5:25PM ESTKristopher Tapley I've heard it's exactly what we thought it would be. The book with style. And no real awards potential. MAYBE Mara. I seen it soon. Embargoed, however.
December 1, 2011 at 5:52PM ESTtonytr And I've heard it tops The Social Network. Why do we buy into this notion of "no awards potential" again and again every year, and again and again films that weren't Oscar plays (The Departed, The Hurt Locker, The Social Network, Hugo) figure into the race. It's ignorant.
December 1, 2011 at 5:58PM ESTtonytr https://twitter.com/#!/TheInSneider/status/141319707906154496
December 1, 2011 at 6:01PM ESThttps://twitter.com/#!/Sharon_RobertsD/status/141310715419041792
https://twitter.com/#!/TheFilmStage/status/141314686397317122
Some Twitter reactions from the first screening.
Casey Fiore The book with style sounds terribly uncinematic to me. Is it supposed to sound positive?
December 1, 2011 at 6:43PM ESTAnita
December 1, 2011 at 4:53PM EST Reply to Comment50/50! Yes! Hope this spells good things for its chances with the Academy (even though of course there is no direct correlation). Great picks across the board. The indies list, especially, is an embarrassment of riches. And seeing Drive and Dragon Tattoo both in the top ten is very exciting.
daveylo
December 1, 2011 at 4:54PM EST Reply to CommentHarry Potter on the top 10 list. Interesting.
Really a love fest more for Clooney than Eastwood this year. Ides of March makes the top 10 list.
Dalurae
December 1, 2011 at 4:56PM EST Reply to CommentYay for Hugo! Sad Olsen keeps being snubbed though.
AndrewM679
December 1, 2011 at 4:58PM EST Reply to CommentI can respect this, even if they left off some movies, a lot more than NYCC. Very happy for Drive and Hugo, as well as Swinton. Also happy Dragon Tattoo got it the top 10.
Matthew Starr
December 1, 2011 at 5:03PM EST Reply to CommentIn terms of Martha Marcy May Marlene it looks like the bloggers are the people that loved it and that the critics just simply respected it. Admittedly I though the film was good and respectable myself and was wondering about all the blogger love. I am not surprised in the least that it is not showing up anywhere.
Having said that I have not seen Margin Call or Like Crazy so I can't make those direct comparisons.
JJ1
December 1, 2011 at 5:06PM EST Reply to CommentHugo, Scorsese, Tilda, Fassbender, Harry 7:2, 50/50, Margin Call .... yayyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Clooney, Woodsley ... zzzzzzz
Looks like Rango and A Separation could dominate Animated and Foreign.
Michael W.
December 1, 2011 at 5:08PM EST Reply to CommentIt's also worth mentioning that Hugo actually came in second in best director and third in best picture at the New York Film Critics voting.
It's most definitely a strong contender for the big one. And a second Oscar for Scorsese would be amazing.
Laura Stewart
December 1, 2011 at 5:16PM EST Reply to CommentOk, I REALLY thought Young Adult would make the top 10 list. It could use all and any attention. I'm afraid Charlize might fall off the radar. As much I love Tilda Swinton and WNTTAK was one of the most brutal movie-going experiences of the year, I wish Charlize had won. Maybe Close will be kicked out of the top 5 and it will end up with Swinton and Theron. That, I can deal with.
Laura Stewart Eek I sound like I'm obsessed with Theron... I'm not, I promise! I just really really like her in Young Adult :)
December 1, 2011 at 5:20PM ESTMatthew Starr I have not seen the performances from Charlize, Colman or Close yet but I can't imagine anyone topping Tilda's work in Kevin. I think she is hands down the best actress working right now.
December 1, 2011 at 5:20PM ESTLaura Stewart Theron is pretty much beyond incredible in YA. I've never been a huge fan of hers until I saw that film. I thought Swinton was superb in WNTTAK and would love for her to be nominated, but IMO Close just doesn't deserve it this year. It's not a great film or performance.
December 1, 2011 at 5:28PM ESTAaron Laura, I actually am predicting Close to be snubbed this year. I am probably in the minority, but I actually think both Charlize and Tilda will make it over her. My logic is that both Theron and Swinton give performances that people LOVE and are passionate about and will undoubtedly garner them several #1 votes.
December 1, 2011 at 8:18PM ESTAs much as Close is respected and has friends in the industry, her performance has not particularly elicited the raves that Streep, Davis, Williams, Theron, and Swinton has. Not to mention that her film has gotten mostly terrible reviews, which will not go in her favor. Obviously, I could be totally wrong about this and my prejudice for Theron and Swinton's work has maybe blinded me from Close's potential, but I don't think she is as locked as many think she is.
Laura Stewart I agree with you. But the whole "it's about time" narrative for Close is what people have been referring to when explaining her potential "lock" in the BA category. I'm with you though... plus, Swinton and Theron are actually the only 2 potential nominees who have strong performances in strong movies. The other 3-4 are strong performances in weak movies.
December 1, 2011 at 8:52PM ESTHoustonRufus Aaron, your logic rings more true to me than it would have a month ago. I think I might agree. I'm starting to think Close might miss this year.
December 1, 2011 at 9:44PM ESTLaura Stewart
December 1, 2011 at 5:19PM EST Reply to CommentHow in the world did J.Edgar make it over Ides of March? Or even Young Adult?
Matthew Starr The Ides of March is in there.
December 1, 2011 at 5:21PM ESTLaura Stewart Nvmd I didn't see Ides... my bad.
December 1, 2011 at 5:26PM ESTGuest Guesto
December 1, 2011 at 5:24PM EST Reply to CommentIt's good to know that there is no film Clint Eastwood can direct that NBR won't single out. That kind of stability is endearing in a we knew it all along kind of way.
rrl
December 1, 2011 at 5:34PM EST Reply to CommentHonestly, Felicity Jones constantly winning these breakout awards over Elizabeth Olsen is embarrassing in my opinion. Felicity gave a decent performance in a terrible film, and Elizabeth gave a great performance in a great film.
Also, Margin Call, a well acted bore that no one will remember in 2 months, beating films like MMMM and Pariah for best first feature prizes is equally ridiculous.
And nice to see NBR will reward Eastwoood no matter how terrible the film.
Bill_the_Bear I haven't yet seen "Like Crazy," but I HAVE seen "MMMM" and "Margin Call," and I preferred "Margin Call."
December 1, 2011 at 9:26PM ESTJamie Amen, RRL. I really don't understand how you look at Elizabeth Olsen in MMMM and pick Felicity Jones in Like Crazy over her. I just can't. And I feel the same about both MMMM and Pariah being snubbed for, of all things, Margin Call. I mean, really?
December 1, 2011 at 9:39PM ESTGraysmith
December 1, 2011 at 5:37PM EST Reply to CommentThat's gotta be one of the nicest curveballs the NBR has thrown in many years. Even though Hugo is the kind of film that's right up their alley, I certainly didn't expect it to win when there's another love-letter to the past in the form of The Artist.
Speaking of that though, I'm a bit surprised Midnight in Paris didn't make their top ten. Just like Hugo and The Artist, it really seemed like a film they would hold in (even) higher regard than other groups.
Good for Swinton, and good for the Oscar race! Maybe things aren't black and white this season as it sometimes feels.
Wheels
December 1, 2011 at 5:38PM EST Reply to CommentI realize we're only two critics groups into awards season, but my oh my will I prefer this awards season if it's Artist/Hazanavicius vs Hugo/Scorsese - two movies I love. Last season's battle royale between two movies I was ambivalent about was pretty boring for me.
JJ1 That was me in '07. I couldn't stand TWBB and I wasn't wild about NCFOM. Years later, I appreciate NCFOM a lot more. But I was big on Atonement that year. And after months of people saying it wouldn't even be nommed for BP - when it WAS - it was like a victory already.
December 1, 2011 at 6:03PM ESTJJ1
December 1, 2011 at 5:58PM EST Reply to CommentAlso nice to see War Horse in the 10; having only heard/read screening reactions.
McAllister
December 1, 2011 at 6:31PM EST Reply to CommentWow... this could be really good for a lot of things... Hugo, Tilda Swinton, Footnote, 50/50, Rango.
david_van_poppel
December 1, 2011 at 6:34PM EST Reply to CommentMaybe an obvious answer to this, but are independent films ineligible for the top 10 films list? I understand there's a separate list, but it's just kind of funny that the two lists' content doesn't overlap at all.
tonytr If that was the case, wouldn't The Artist, Descendants, and Drive be ineligible?
December 1, 2011 at 6:38PM EST
December 1, 2011 at 6:55PM ESTJoe S. My guess--and this is just me speculating; I don't know it for a fact--is that they save the Top 10 Independent list for Independent movies that they liked, but didn't like enough to put on their Top 10 Film list. Last year, for example, Winter's Bone would obviously have qualified to be on the independent films list, but they liked it well enough to elevate it to the "higher tier" of the Top 10 Films list. For them, it's probably redundant to put a movie on both lists, similar to how it'd be redundant to put their #1 Best film on the Top 10 list as well.
December 1, 2011 at 8:52PM ESTtonytr
December 1, 2011 at 6:35PM EST Reply to CommentSo judging by NBR history, Hugo is pretty much guaranteed a Picture nomination, one of the big winners will be snubbed (probably Swinton), and one of them will win the Oscar (probably Plummer).
ePastorJames I can see Swinton getting in and Woodley being snubbed instead.
December 2, 2011 at 6:13AM EST- 1
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